Apparatus for making uniform semi-split shakes

ABSTRACT

A shake bolt is carried between upper and lower rollers that are mounted on a movable carriage. A saw and a vertical splitting bar aligned with the saw are mounted on a stationary frame adjacent to the carriage. The bolt is advanced by simultaneously rotating said rollers. In one embodiment the bolt is tilted by first rotating the top roller alone. A kerf is cut in the bolt by moving the carriage past the saw blade. A shake is then split from the bolt by returning the carriage while passing the splitting bar through the kerf adjacent to the inner end thereof. The shake has a tip portion of uniform thickness and a thicker naturally split weather portion. In one form, the tip portion is at an angle with respect to the weather portion. A method of making semi-split shakes comprising making a cut into and across an end of a shake bolt to establish a predetermined tip length and splitting the weather portion of the shake from the bolt by applying a prying force within the cut and adjacent to the inner edge of the cut.

[57] ABSTRACT A shake bolt is carried between upper and lower rol- APPARATUS FOR MAKING UNIFORM SEMI-SPLIT SHAKES [76] Inventor: John H. Hughes, 6321 Central Park lers that are mounted on a movable carriage. A saw Dr., Aberdeen, Wash. and a vertical splitting bar aligned with the saw are Feb. 1, 1972 Appl. No.: 222,575

22 F] d mounted on a stationary frame adjacent to the car- 1 I e riage. The bolt is advanced by simultaneously rotating [21] said rollers. In one embodiment the bolt is tilted by Related Us. Application Data first rotating the top roller alone. A kerf 1s cut 1n the [62] Division of Ser.

bolt by moving the carriage past the saw blade. A

No. 851,575, Aug. 20, 1969,

shake is then split from the bolt by returning the carriage while passing the splitting bar through the kerf adjacent to the inner end thereof. The shake has a tip portion of uniform thickness and a thicker naturally split weather portion. In one fonn,

abandoned.

[52] US. 144/13, 144/3 K, 144/326,

83/706 the tip portion is at 3/02" B271 7/00 an angle with respect to the weather portion. A

144/13 326 309 method of making semi-split shakes comprising mak- 144/3 K; 143/12, 8; 83/706 51 Int. [58] Field of ing a cut into and across an end of a shake bolt to establish a predetermined tip length and splitting the weather portion of the shake from the bolt by applying a prying force within the cut and. adjacent to the inner edge of the cut.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 143 12 4/1967 Hughes 144/326 W 9 Claims 16 Drawing Figures 3,512,562 5/1970 Norlander et 885,327 4/1908 3,315,717

Primary ExaminerDonald R. Schran Attorney-Richard W. Seed et a1.

PATENTEU DEC 4 #975 SHEET 2 [F mm. .L

@TQE Om Q 5 mm mm APPARATUS FOR MAKING UNIFORM SEMI-SPLIT SHAKES This is a division of application, Ser. No. 851,575, filed Aug. 20, 1969, now abandoned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a method and apparatus for making semi-split shakes and to a novel type of shake having a tip portion of uniform thickness.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past it was customary to make shakes by handsplitting blocks, commonly referred to as bolts, of cedar or redwood. More recently shakes were manufactured by machine cutting a bolt to a sufficient depth to form the tip portion of a shake and splitting the weather portion of the shake by natural cleavage, such as by prying or wedging the shake from the bolt. One such device for machine cutting the shake is disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 482,549, filed Aug. 25, 1965, and entitled Shake-Sawing Machine.

Of the various methods employed to make a shake the earliest was to manually drive a wedge along the grain of a bolt to separate the shake from the bolt. This was obviously time consuming and required a highly skilled workman. An improved more recent method was then developed that employed cutting, rather than splitting, the tip portion of the shakes. The cut provided a target into which the workman or machine could drive a wedge to split the shake and thus remove much of the judgement needed for earlier methods. In addition, the resulting shake tendedto be more uniform in thickness and easier to secure to the wall or roof.

Shakes formed by the hand-splitting method were often of non-uniform thicknesses because the thickness of each shake was determined solely by the skill of the workman. In addition, the thickness and cross-sectional profile of the shake formed by the hand-splitting method varied considerably over the length of the shake since the split surfaces followed the irregular grain of the wood. Shakes having a tip portion formed of a sawed or otherwise cut surface produced a shake of more uniform thickness and the sawed surface of the shake was straight regardless of the direction of the grain. Sawed shakes, such as shown in Hughes US. Pat. No. 3,315,717, have heretofor had a tapered tip portion which limited the use of the stapling guns and the like for securing the shake to a roof and reduced the thickness of the tip portion along its secondary weathering surface, that is, the top surface of a lower layer shake which is exposed between the two abutting shakes on top of it.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention pertains first to an improved machine for producing semi-split shakes. One feature of the machine is the provision of means to hold a shake bolt in such a manner that it may be accurately advanced past a cutting station. Another feature of the machine is the provision of cutting and splirring means that are in substantial coplanar alignment such that relative motion of the bolt in one direction will result in a cut and the return motion will result in splitting the snake from the bolt. Still another feature of the machine is the provision of bolt-holding means which may tilt the bolt prior to cutting so that the cuts made are at an angle to the direction of the grain and thus at an angle to the split surface.

The invention also pertains to an improved method of making a shake which employs the steps. of cutting a kerf through part of the bolt to define a tip portion and then splitting the shake from the bolt by applying a prying force preferably close to the inner edge of the cut. The prying force could be applied anywhere along the cut; however, by applying the force at the inner edge the length of the tip portion is not used as part of the prying lever and thus the tendency of a tip portion to crack or break is reduced. Still another feature employs the application of the prying force in a direction transverse to the length of the shake.

The invention also pertains to a new type of semisplitshake which basically includes a tip portion of uniform thickness that is less than the thickness of the weather portion. Such a shake advantageously may be easily packaged by placing the tip portions of adjacent shakes one on the other to make a compact bundle. A single fastening strap may then be applied around the tip portions to secure the bundles. The uniform thickness of the tip portion permits fastening to the roof or wall of a building with the use of high-speed stapling guns and the like. Shakes of this type lay better on the roof since the only non-uniformity in a multiple layer is caused by the weather portion of the shakes. The tip portion uniform thickness also results in an overall thicker secondary weathering layer than obtained with other forms of shakes. The reduced thickness of the tip portion allows air space. for drying the shakes when secured to the roof. Another basic form of shake is provided which has a tip portion at an angle with respect to the weather portion so that the shake has an inherent resiliency when fastened to the roof thus causing the weather portion to be drawn tightly against the roof and eliminating reasing of the shake during high winds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred form of shake splitting machine embodying the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 3--3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section along the line of 4--4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary isometric of a modified form of splitting bar used in the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary section of a preferred form of splitting bar used in the machine of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a preferred form of shake.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of a modified form of shake.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation of a bundle of shakes.

FIG. 10 is a schematic operational view showing a shake bolt positioned in the machine.

FIG. 11 is a schematic operational view showing a bolt aboutto be cut.

FIG. 12 is a schematic operational view showing a kerf being cut in the bolt.

FIG. 13 is a schematic operational view showing a shake being split from the bolt.

FIG. 14 is an isometric illustration showing the typical arrangement of shakes on a roof.

FIG. is a sectional view of a portion of a shakecovered roof.

FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a control circuit employed in the machine of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The machine embodying the principles of the invention is best illustrated in FIG. 1 and includes a carriage 15 reciprocally slidable along a path past a circular saw 16 and a splitting bar 18. A block or bolt B is held on the carriage by holding or gripping means 19. A control mechanism 20 operates a conventional, two-way hydraulic cylinder 22 having a piston rod which moves the carriage along the path toward and away from the saw blade 16. On the return stroke the bolt B is moved past the splitting bar 18.

The carriage 15 is best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 and includes a triangular frame 23 which rests on spaced bearing pads 24. Spaced clips 25 retain and guide the triangular frame on the bearing pads. The pads 24 are fixed to a base frame 26 which is rigidly mounted on the floor. The hydraulic cylinder 22 is fixed at one end to the base frame 26 and its piston rod is pinned to the triangular frame of the carriage as at 28. As is readily apparent extension of the piston rod moves the carriage to the right, as viewed in FIG. 2, whereas retraction of the rod returns the carriage to the left.

The base frame 26 is provided with spaced bearing blocks 30 that rotatably mount an elongated shaft 32. The circular saw blade 16 is keyed to one end of the shaft and a set of sheaves 34 are keyed to the opposite end. The shaft is rotated by a plurality of belts 35 entrained around sheaves on the output shaft of a motor 36, and around sheaves 34. A sheave 38 is also secured to the elongated shaft 32 and a belt 39 is entrained around the sheave 38 and around a sheave 40 secured to the input shaft of a conventional hydraulic pump 42. The pump 42 provides hydraulic fluid for operating the cylinder as will be later described.

The splitting bar 18 includes a flat plate 44 which is pivotally mounted at one end in a pair of spaced pivot blocks 46 that are fixed to the base frame 26. The free end of the splitting bar is provided with a tapered, bent end or wedge 48 having its pointed end 49 facing toward the saw blade 16. As best shown in FIG. 2, when the splitting bar is raised into the vertical position it is substantially coplanar with the saw blade 16 with the pointed end 49 overlying the blade. A stop bar 50 is se cured to the plate 44 and is provided at its free end with an adjustable bolt 52. The bolt 52 engages the underside of the base frame 26 and serves as an adjustable stop to vertically position the plate 44. The plate is normally biased into the vertical position by a spring 53.

The holding or gripping means 19 for supporting and advancing a bolt B through the carriage 15 includes 7 upper and lower spur rollers 56 and 58 having upper and lower shafts 56a and 58a, respectively, and each shaft having a plurality of toothed discs 59. The lower shaft 58a is rotatably mounted in spaced bearing blocks 60 that are fixed to the triangular frame 23. The upper shaft 56a is rotatably mounted in spaced bearing blocks 62 that are fixed on elongated bracket 64. The bracket 64 is pivotally mounted for vertical movement on the triangular frame 22. A pair of springs 66 bias the bracket and thus the upper spur roller downwardly with a force of approximately 500 to 800 pounds. A lever 68 is suitably secured at one end to the bracket 64 through a linkage 69 and to the triangular frame through a linkage 70 to raise the upper spur roller against the force of the springs 66. With the spur roller raised the bolt B may be placed and leveled in the carriage between the upper and lower spur rollers. With the lever 68 released the upper spur roller is lowered gripping the bolt between the spur rollers.

Advancement of the bolt B is accomplished by rotating both of the spur rollers simultaneously in opposite directions. To accomplish simultaneous rotation of the upper and lower spur rollers a cog wheel 70 (FIGS. 1 and 4) is fixed to the upper shaft 56a. A plate 72 is rotatably mounted on the upper roller 56 and is provided with a releasable pawl 73 spring biased into engagement with the cog wheel. A spring 74 is secured to one end of the plate 72 and to the triangular frame 23 biasing the plate upwardly. A chain 75 is also secured to the free end of the plate 72. The lower end of the chain 75 is secured to a plate 76 that is fixed to a sleeve 87 rotatably mounted on the lower shaft 58. A cog wheel 78 is fixed to the lower shaft and is driven by a spring-biased pawl 79 pivotally mounted on the plate 76. An L- shaped lever 82, one leg of which is connected by a spring 84 to the carriage 15 and the other leg of which is provided with a cam follower 86, is secured to the sleeve 87. A cam 88 is secured to the base frame 26 in alignment with the cam follower 86. As is readily apparent, reciprocation of the carriage 15 by the hydraulic cylinder 22 will carry the cam follower off the cam 88, rotating the L-shaped lever 82 and thus rotating the plate 76 in clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, but will not turn either of the spur rollers since the pawl 79 will slip over the teeth of the cogged wheel 78 and the chain 73 will not transmit the motion. On the retum stroke of the carriage 15 the cam follower 86 will ride up on the cam 88 thus rotating the lever arm 82 in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, such that the pawl 79 will cause rotation of the lower spur roller 58. The rotational motion is also transmitted through the plate 76 and the chain 75 to the plate 72 on the upper shaft 56a thus rotating the upper spur roller in the opposite direction. The rotation of the upper and lower spur rollers is equal so that a bolt b is advanced along a horizontal line. The preferred amount of advancement per stroke is h inch when used with a circular saw blade that removes a one-quarter inch wide kerf.

In a modified form of the invention the kerfs are cut in the bolt at an angle with respect to the grain of the bolt. Shake bolts are cut from a log in such a manner that the grain runs parallel to two opposite sides of the bolt. The bolt, in the preferred form of machine, is then set in the carriage so that the cuts are made parallel to the grain. In the modified form of machine, however, the bolt is tilted so that the cuts are made at an angle to the grain. This produces a shake with a tip portion that is angularly offset from the grain and thus the weather portion as shown for example in FIG. 8. In order to tilt the bolt B the plate 72 is provided with a handle 89 to rotate the plate in the clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 4, thus rotating the upper spur roller 56. The motion will not be transmitted through the chain 75, however, and thus the lower spur roller 58 will remain stationary. At the beginning of the cutting operation and after a shake bolt has been leveled between the upper and lower spur rollers the operator cranks the handle 89 a set number of times to produce the desired forward leaning tilt to the block B.

The operation of the machine is best described with reference to FIGS. 13 and to the hydraulic schematic shown in FIG. 16. The pump 40 is connected to a conventional three position control valve 90. The furthest right position of the valve core directs the fluid from the pump into line 91 and connects the fluid line 92 to reservoir 93, thus moving the piston rod to the left to retract the carriage 15. The furthest left position of the valve core connects line 92 to the pump and line 91 to the reservoir to move the carriage to the right. The central position of the valve core bypasses the fluid from the pump directly to the reservoir. An internal spring biases the valve core toward the right. The valve core is positioned by an operator controlled handle 94 that extends in front of the machine and is pivoted to the base frame as at 93. With reference to FIG. 2, movement of the handle 94 in the counterclockwise direction slides the valve core to theleft to move the carriage toward the saw blade 16 and cutting a kerf across the bolt B. Pressure is applied to the handle until the saw has completed its out. At this time the handle is released and is pivoted in a clockwise position by a spring 95 secured to the base frame. The valve core is thus released with the bias of the internal spring sliding the valve core to the furthest right position to retract the carriage and thus pulling the bolt B over the splitting bar 18. As the carriage returns the sleeve 87 engages the handle 94 returning it and the valve core to the bypass position as shown in FIG. 1.

The splitting bar 18 peels a shake from the bolt along the grain line. The splitting bar is initially raised to the vertical position shown in FIG. 11 after the bolt B has been leveled, or tilted in the modified form, between the upper and lower spur rollers 56 and 58. The spring 53 then pulls the splitting bar against the bolt so that the bar automatically moves to its splitting position after the bolt has passed over the saw blade and beyond the splitting bar. As is readily apparent the operator maintains absolute control over the timing of the carriage stroke. In this way the operator is able to remove a split shake from the machine and examine it for quality before going on to the next shake. If desired, of course, the machine can be made to operate entirely automatically.

As is shown in the operational view of FIG. 13 the wedge 48 of the splitting bar 18 enters the kerf closely adjacent inner edge of the kerf. This feature allows the prying or wedging force to be applied close to the split or weather portion of the shake and minimizes the chance of damaging the tip portion. The positioning of the splitting bar in the return path of the carriage also minimizes the number of strokes required to cut and split the shake as well as reduce the overall size of the machine. Obviously, however, the splitting bar 18 may be on the opposite side of the saw and still be complanr so that a single stroke will cut and split a shake.

In a modified form of the machine a shaving cutter 96 (FIG. 5) is added to the upper edge of the wedge 48 on the splitting bar 18. The shaving cutter chamfers the inner edge of the cut made by the saw 16 to smooth the ridge between the tip portion and the weather portion of the shake.

From the foregoing description it should be apparent that the machine is usable to perform the method features of this invention. In the preferred method the bolt B is'positioned, then a kerf extending partially into the bolt is made across the entire bolt parallel to the grain. A prying force is then applied to the side surfaces defining the kerf adjacent its inner edge to separate a shake from the bolt. This prying force could be applied from any direction and from any location within the kerf; however, in the preferred form it is advantagesly applied close to the inner edge of the kerf. In another form of method the foregoing sequence is preceded by the step of tilting the bolt so that the cut is made at an angle to the grain. The prying force is still applied to separate the shake from the block with the natural cleavage being along the grain.

The shakes made according to the foregoing methods are shown in FIGS. 7, 8, 14 and 15. The preferred form includes a weather or butt portion and a tip portion 101. The tip portion is of a reduced thickness meeting the butt portion in a ridge 102. The sides of the tip and weather portions opposite the sides joined by the ridge 102 are coplanar. The modified form includes a weather portion 104 and a tip portion 105 joined at a ridge 106. The sides of the shake opposite the sides joined at the ridge 106 are at an angle to one another. In both forms the shakes are applied to the roof or side walls with the ridge of the shake placed facing the building. As is customary the weather portion of the shake is lowermost with succeeding courses of shakes overlapping. An important feature of the invention is that the reduced thickness of the tip portions 101 and 105 of the shakes provide an airspace for allowing drying air to reach the underside of the shake. Another important feature, particularly in the case of the modified shake is, that the tip portion is placed in moderate tension when secured to the building. The moderate tension holds the weather portion of the shake tightly against the roof to prevent lifting by high winds. Still another important feature is that the uniform thickness of the tip portion provides a thicker cross-sectional area at the secondary wear points of the shake which is indicated between the arrows 110.

Another important feature of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 9 which shows a bundle of shakes made according to the principles of the invention. In the past it has been necessary to package a bundle of shakes with straps around the weather portions to keep the shakes from coming loose during transit. In order to prevent the straps from damaging, the weather portions sticks were applied at the edges of the top and bottom sides of the bundle over which the straps were passed. It is of course time consuming to place the sticks and adds to the price of the bundle. In the instant invention a single strap 112 is applied around the center of the bundle about the inter-fitting tip portions of adjacent shakes. The interfitted tip portions being uniform will take sufficient strapping pressure to hold them tightly together without the need of spacing sticks or additional fasteners. The bundle formed is also easy to hansaid block and thence past said splitting means to remove a shake from said bolt.

2. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein said cutting means includes a circular saw blade positioned on one side of said base frame, said splitting means includes a wedge positioned on said base frame generally in alignment with said carriage and with said saw blade, and said carriage moving means includes actuator means for reciprocating said carriage to pass said bolt through said saw blade on its forward stroke and thence pass said bolt through said wedge on its rearward stroke.

3. The apparatus defined by claim 2 wherein said wedge includes a shaving blade engageable with said bolt along a ridge line formed by the inner end of said kerf.

4. The apparatus defined by claim 3 wherein said splitting means includes a generally flat plate having a tapered bent end, said plate being mounted for pivotal movement about its opposite end, said point of said tapered bent end of said blade being aligned in the same vertical plane when said plate is pivoted upwardly into a vertical position.

5. The apparatus defined by claim 3 wherein said bolt holding means includes upper and lower spur rollers mounted for rotation about horizontal axes and engageable with opposite sides of said bolt; and means for rotating said rollers in the same direction and in equal amounts to selectively advance said bolt.

6. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein said means for holding said bolt includes means for tilting and advancing said bolt.

7. The apparatus defined by claim 5 wherein said means for rotating said spur rollers includes means for selectively advancing one spur roller at a time for tilting the block.

8. A shake splitting machine comprising means for holding a shake having a grain extending generally from one end of the bolt to the other, means for cutting kerfs into an end of the bolt to establish tip lengths of the shakes, means for splitting the shakes from the bolt including prying means for applying within a kerf a sidewise prying force against the outermost shake on the bolt for separating the shake from the bolt, and means for moving the bolt holding means and the prying means relative to each other in a direction generally normal to the grain of the bolt for applying the prying force from a lateral edge of the kerf progressively into the kerf to force the shake away from the bolt and thus separate the shake from the bolt.

9. The machine of claim 8 said prying means including a wedge insertable laterally into said kerf adjacent the inner end of said kerf. 

1. Apparatus for making semi-split shakes or the like comprising: a movable carriage mounted on a base frame; means for holding a shake bolt on said carriage; a rotary cutting blade; shake splitting means; means for advancing the bolt in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the cutting blade and toward said cutting blade for making a plurality of shakes; and means for moving said carriage past said cutting means to cut a kerf in said block and thence past said splitting means to remove a shake from said bolt.
 2. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein said cutting means includes a circular saw blade positioned on one side of said base frame, said splitting means includes a wedge positioned on said base frame generally in alignment with said carriage and with said saw blade, and said carriage moving means includes actuator means for reciprocating said carriage to pass said bolt through said saw blade on its forward stroke and thence pass said bolt through said wedge on its rearward stroke.
 3. The apparatus defined by claim 2 wherein said wedge includes a shaving blade engageable with said bolt along a ridge line formed by the inner end of said kerf.
 4. The apparatus defined by claim 3 wherein said splitting means includes a generally flat plate having a tapered bent end, said plate being mounted for pivotal movement about its opposite end, said point of said tapered bent end of said blade being aligned in the same vertical plane when said plate is pivoted upwardly into a vertical position.
 5. The apparatus defined by claim 3 wherein said bolt holding means includes upper and lower spur rollers mounted for rotation about horizontal axes and engageable with opposite sides of said bolt; and means for rotating said rollers in the same direction and in equal amounts to selectively advance said bolt.
 6. The apparatus defined by claim 1 wherein said means for holding said bolt includes means for tilting and advancing said bolt.
 7. The apparatus defined by claim 5 wherein said means for rotating said spur rollers includes means for selectively advancing one spuR roller at a time for tilting the block.
 8. A shake splitting machine comprising means for holding a shake having a grain extending generally from one end of the bolt to the other, means for cutting kerfs into an end of the bolt to establish tip lengths of the shakes, means for splitting the shakes from the bolt including prying means for applying within a kerf a sidewise prying force against the outermost shake on the bolt for separating the shake from the bolt, and means for moving the bolt holding means and the prying means relative to each other in a direction generally normal to the grain of the bolt for applying the prying force from a lateral edge of the kerf progressively into the kerf to force the shake away from the bolt and thus separate the shake from the bolt.
 9. The machine of claim 8 said prying means including a wedge insertable laterally into said kerf adjacent the inner end of said kerf. 